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Expert Tips for Small Spaces
Make the most out of a compact space with these handy tips
* **Create a grade change**, which leads the eye up and around the space. For example, turn one-third of the area into a raised bed that can be planted, or a paved terrace that can hold pots or accessories.
*—Denise Balcaen, GARDENS Four Seasons, Saskatoon* * **Use trompe l’oeil** to fool the eye into thinking the space is larger. Paint a trompe l’oeil mural on a wall or fence, or use a false-perspective lattice frame that gives the illusion of depth.
*—Philip Nortjé, PNLAdesign, Black Point, NS* * **Maximize planting space** by going vertical. Design living walls and use colourful vines and plants that add interest at eye level and above.
*—Colleen MacDonald, Sage Green Projects Inc., West Vancouver*
* **Replace high-maintenance lawn** with a patio space and a combination of trees, shrubs and perennials. If you must have grass, incorporate native and ornamental grasses by way of pots or borders.
*—Jennifer LaBella, Ivy League Landscape Design, Winnipeg* * **Incorporate “windows”** that frame your garden and give the impression of greater depth. Create a green window out of shrubs and a canopy of trees. For a structural window, set up a lattice screen or a piece of fence with a large opening.
*—Marius F.M. de Bruyn, Aesthetics+Design, Oakville, ON*
*—Denise Balcaen, GARDENS Four Seasons, Saskatoon* * **Use trompe l’oeil** to fool the eye into thinking the space is larger. Paint a trompe l’oeil mural on a wall or fence, or use a false-perspective lattice frame that gives the illusion of depth.
*—Philip Nortjé, PNLAdesign, Black Point, NS* * **Maximize planting space** by going vertical. Design living walls and use colourful vines and plants that add interest at eye level and above.
*—Colleen MacDonald, Sage Green Projects Inc., West Vancouver*
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*—Jennifer LaBella, Ivy League Landscape Design, Winnipeg* * **Incorporate “windows”** that frame your garden and give the impression of greater depth. Create a green window out of shrubs and a canopy of trees. For a structural window, set up a lattice screen or a piece of fence with a large opening.
*—Marius F.M. de Bruyn, Aesthetics+Design, Oakville, ON*
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